A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Nashville, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when Joan Baez covered his song, "Song at the End of the Movie", on her album Honest Lullaby. Following that release, Pettis became heavily involved in the "Fast Folk movement" in New York in the 1980s alongside artists such as Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.
In 1984, Pettis released his first independent solo album, Moments, followed by a string of releases for High Street Records; While the Serpent Lies Sleeping, Tinseltown and Chase the Buffalo. None of these releases have made Pettis a household name, but his music has become extremely popular with other artists. His songs have been covered by artists like Dar Williams ("Family" on Mortal City), Garth Brooks ("You Move Me" on Sevens), Dion & the Belmonts, Sara Groves, Randy Stonehill and others.
In the early 1990s, Pettis developed a working relationship with songwriter and producer Mark Heard. Pettis was performing with Heard at the Cornerstone Festival in July of 1992, when Heard had a heart attack on stage. Heard finished the show, but collapsed off-stage afterwards and died the following August. That loss led to the start of a tradition for Pettis, who has started off each of his albums with one of Heard's songs since 1993's Chase the Buffalo, where he recorded Heard's "Nod Over Coffee". Other Heard covers include "Satellite Sky" (1996's Making Light of It), "Tip of My Tongue" (1998's Everything Matters), "Rise from the Ruins" (2001's State of Grace) and "Another Day in Limbo" (2004's Great Big World.) Pettis also appeared on a 1994 tribute to Heard entitled Strong Hand of Love.
In 1996, Pettis signed on with Compass Records and released Making Light of It, produced by David Miner (T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello), and featuring Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong of The Choir.
Two years later Everything Matters was released, produced by Grammy award winning Gordon Kennedy (who is best known for co-writing Eric Clapton's "Change the World.") Pettis followed that release with State of Grace in 2001, which featured cover art by the late southern folk artist Howard Finster.
2001 saw Pettis' most regionally oriented album, State of Grace released. 2004's Great Big World record saw Pettis collaborating with a number of other songwriters. In 2009 That Kind of Love included less of a regional focus. 2013 saw Pettis, along with Tom Kimmel and Kate Campbell, form the New Agrarians and release a debut album on the independent Due South label.
2019 saw the release of his album "Father's Son".
Pettis tours frequently, alternating between solo shows, concerts with the New Agrarians, and a double bill with his daughter Grace Pettis.
Crying ground
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your story's all over town
But it's all right if everything is all wrong
Just come on down to the crying ground
Dark skies, feels like rain
Why, look at all those thunder clouds
I'll bet that dam is just about to break
Come on down to the crying ground
Let your tears be holy water
Rolling down your face, ain't no disgrace
Come on down to the crying ground
I can see you want to steal away
Where you will never be found
But sometimes everybody feels this way
So come on down to the crying ground
Repeat Chorus
No need to tell me what you're going through
Cause, sister, I've been
Right where you are now
You know exactly what you need to do
So come on down, down, down. down...
We are talking holy water
Rolling down your face, ain't no disgrace
Come on down to the crying ground
The lyrics to Pierce Pettis's song "Crying Ground" are an invitation to someone who is experiencing difficult times to come and let their emotions out. The singer is encouraging the person to not hide what's going on and to come to the crying ground even if everything feels wrong. The crying ground is a place where tears are holy water and letting them flow is not a disgrace. In fact, it is an opportunity to release the bottled-up pain and sorrow without judgment.
The dark skies and thunderclouds are metaphorical hints that there is an impending storm, and the dam is about to break. This suggests that the person's emotions are building up, and sooner or later, they will need an outlet. The invitation to come to the crying ground is an act of compassion and empathy towards the person. The singer acknowledges that the pain the person is going through is something that they have experienced before and lets them know that they are not alone.
The repetition of the chorus is particularly powerful as it emphasizes the message that it's okay to cry and that tears are holy water. The words "ain't no disgrace" reinforce the idea that expressing emotions is not a sign of weakness or failure, but a natural human response to pain and suffering. The message across the song is to encourage people to seek out safe spaces where they can express their emotions and be understood without being judged for it.
Line by Line Meaning
No need to hide what's going on
There is no need to keep your feelings hidden
Your story's all over town
People already know what you're going through
But it's all right if everything is all wrong
Even if everything seems to be going wrong, it's okay
Just come on down to the crying ground
Just come and express your emotions
Dark skies, feels like rain
The atmosphere is dark and gloomy
Why, look at all those thunder clouds
There seem to be a lot of problems brewing
I'll bet that dam is just about to break
Something is bound to break or go wrong
Better come on down to the crying ground
You should come and release your tears here
Come on down to the crying ground
Let your emotions out
Let your tears be holy water
Your tears are pure and healing
Rolling down your face, ain't no disgrace
Crying is nothing to be ashamed of
I can see you want to steal away
You want to escape from your problems
Where you will never be found
You want to hide from everyone
But sometimes everybody feels this way
Everyone goes through tough times
So come on down to the crying ground
Come and let it all out
No need to tell me what you're going through
You don't have to explain yourself
Cause, sister, I've been
Because, I have gone through it too
Right where you are now
Exactly where you are currently at
You know exactly what you need to do
You know what you need to do to feel better
We are talking holy water
We are referring to pure and healing tears
Come on down to the crying ground
Come and release your emotions
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.